PE VP Forum Recap | September 2021

Every quarter we gather Vice Presidents in PE to discuss current industry topics and to offer these peers the chance to gather, share information, and decompress with one another. In our most recent event, we discussed many topics and have listed our top takeaways below.

These forums are invite-only and follow Chatham House Rules, so listed below are high-level takeaways only. Are you in private equity and interested in joining fellow PE VPs during our next PE VP Forum? Please contact us at events@bluwave.net.

Deal Yardstick 

• Firms are using a mix of quantitative and qualitative scorecards to gauge the attractiveness of a deal. Our VP attendees discussed the value of scorecards, but that they also need to be used in a measured way that incorporates other important factors during diligence. 

3 Things The VP Attendees Shared That They Thought Would Improve the Deal Evaluation Process Most

•  Calibrating the level of diligence with the impact of a deal – beware of analysis paralysis.
•  Let associates present deals during the Monday Morning Meeting for training and development purposes.
• Find a way to streamline the NDA process which is time-consuming without apparent value add.  

IOI/LOI

• Different firms are deploying different approaches to get the highest expected value out of their efforts before LOI.  

Portco CFOs

• Develop a CFO playbook to help onboard CFOs more consistently and quickly.  Collaborate with and nurture your CFOs, but hope is not a strategy if they are not working out. 

We thoroughly enjoyed getting to gather with PE VPsto discuss these current industry hot topics.  Here at BluWave, we are specialized to quickly connect you with the exact-fit, pre-vetted, PE-grade service providers you need exactly when you need them.

Never worked with us before? Check out our How To Vet BluWave video to learn more about us and how we can help. And if you have an immediate need, contact us here and we will be happy to help you right away.